CAMPAIGNERS have condemned the felling of ‘irreplaceable’ trees from the Piles Coppice woodland at Brandon Reach nature reserve.
‘Hugely disappointed’ members of the Friends of Piles Coppice Wood group said the trees were the habitat of very rare birds and moths, and were worth thousands of pounds in amenity value and carbon storage.
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, which manages Piles Coppice on behalf of the Woodland Trust, said it was reintroducing traditional woodland management methods on 12 small plots equalling less than five per cent of the site, with the aim of enriching the wildlife and the woodland for future generations.
The Trust said it was an effective way to ensure the woodlands were cared for in a way that allowed them to be healthy now and in the future.
A petition on Change.org entitled ‘Save Piles Coppice Wood’ has currently had 2,261 signatures, and in 2020 a petition was presented in Parliament by Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana.
The Friends of Piles Coppice Wood said: “This entire wood has a Tree Preservation Order which requires planning permission to fell trees.
“The Trust has obtained a felling licence from the Forestry Commission which allows them to remove a small number of trees in a few pockets of the woodland as a trial.
“This licence was acquired with no public consultation with the local community, who have shown grave concerns regarding Warwickshire Wildlife Trust’s intentions and actions.
“Local people have been stifled or ignored and denied any right of reply or debate.
“The Warwickshire Wildlife Trust agreed with the Forestry Commission they would work with local Tree Wardens who know the wood and also a Warwickshire County ecologist to decide where the trial areas should be.
“This would have been in hidden areas near the edges of the wood and under no circumstances on the beautiful main pathway leading through the centre of the wood, the area that was subjected to the recent tree felling.”
Lisa Male, who lives in nearby Binley Woods, added she had been advised by experts the woodland was in a healthy state and provided habitats for some rare species of flora and fauna.
She also claimed the work carried out was not in one of the trial plots the trust originally identified and residents were not informed of their intentions until after they had started.
The vice chair of the Coventry Tree Warden Network, Ann Wilson, disputed the trust’s claim the condition of the wood was poor, adding a species list by local conservationists showed the exact opposite.
The Woodland Trust said the work was designed to stimulate new growth by allowing light in and enabling the woodland and its wildlife to thrive.
A Warwickshire Wildlife Trust spokesperson said it had reached out to a local group and met with them on many occasions to talk through the plans, but had been met with complete resistance to any woodland management taking place.
They said: “As we are responsible for the site, its safety and the successful delivery of the agreed plans, we cannot allow others to determine the exact work areas.
“We have actively shared our plans with the wider public and interested parties online, via social media, via our magazine, at public events and at our drop-in sessions that ran for a week at Brandon Marsh Visitor Centre.
“These all included information about our work, the purpose of the work, the location of the plots and an estimated starting period for the work to take place.
“We are not destroying habitats – we are creating and providing a greater range of habitats to support and encourage a wider range of species, increasing biodiversity in the woodland.”
